Journey to Pandora
by ChrstnWrtr
Summary: A Harry Potter/Avatar fanfic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to Pandora to find a rare plant that would cure Ginny Weasley's illness. NOTE: I do not own the characters to "Avatar" or "Harry Potter."
1. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Plant

Journey to Pandora - Chapter 1: The Mysterious Plant

by Chrstnwrtr

At the home of Rubeus Hagrid, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were marveling at Hagrid's newest pet. The creature was hand-sized and resembled a cross between a vampire bat and a lizard. Hagrid had found him near Hogwarts and decided to adopt it.

"His name is Scaly," said Hagrid proudly. "Normally Batzards don't get any bigger than this one."

The batzard flew up and down and landed in the palm of Ron. It made a noise that sounded like a baby parrot. "Aw, he's a cute fella." Ron took his hand and scratched Scaly's wings. In response, the little creature bit Ron's index finger with its fangs, causing him to retract his hand in pain. "Ow, the little bugger!"

"Aw, he's not dangerous, Ron. He just ain't used to you yet," Hagrid said calmly.

Ron smiled meakly as Scaly flew toward his owner. "So I see."

"Let me take a look at your bite, Ron. Hold out your hand," Hermione said. She examined his index finger and tapped it with her wand. "There, all better." Ron thanked Hermione and had a sip of some hot tea.

Harry was sipping a mug of butterbeer when he felt the lightning bolt on his head throb a bit. It wasn't blinding pain as usual but it was noticeable. He rubbed it, hoping the pain would subside. The pain dulled a bit as Harry sunk into the chair he was sitting in. He breathed a sigh of relief and drank more butterbeer.

* * *

As they arrived back at Hogwarts, they went into the medical ward where Ron's sister, Ginny, was sick with some mystery illness. Ron had been on edge all day and the trip to Hagrid's did help his anxiety a little bit. The trio visited with the doctors and nurses to get an update on Ginny's condition, which occurred after she drank an unknown potion, thinking it to be butterbeer.

They all stood by Ginny's bedside, with Hermione rubbing her forehead and Ron holding her hand. The nurse called them together to discuss the sickness that pervaded Ginny's body.

"I have some good news and some bad news," the nurse said. "The good news is that Ginny must've drank an herbal liquid used to grow a certain kind of plant in Herbology. A student accidentally may have left his or her sample in a butterbeer mug. The disease is called heliotrophy so now we know what she has."

"But, but, wha-what's the bad news?" stammered Ron, his face slowly going pale.

"The bad news is that we don't have the formula for the antidote," replied the nurse. "The last case of heliotrophy was a century ago and the formula has been lost. The prognosis is not necessarily grim but Ginny will probably spend the rest of her life with spiral-like calluses growing all over her body. If one is removed, another will grow back."

"How do we find the formula for the antidote?" asked Harry. "There has to be one in the Herbology department."

"The Herbology department did some research and found that the only way to find the formula is to capture a certain plant and then analyze its genetic material," replied the nurse. "It's called the _helicoradian_. Unfortunately, the plant grows elswhere...on a distant moon."

Ron and Hermione were in a state of shock. Harry was also shocked but he told himself that he would like Ginny for who she was and not for the calluses on her body.

"Where is this distant moon?" Ron asked, sweat pouring from his brow.

"It's called Pandora. But so far, no one from Hogwarts has been able to apparitiate there and come back alive. A herbology professor tried to do that fifty years ago in order to study the plantlife but he died once he got there."

"How did he die?" asked Hermione.

"We don't know."

* * *

The three friends shuffled their way back to their dormitories. Hermione, however, was in no mood to give up. She convinced Ron and Harry to make a trip to the library to find some answers.

"Surely Professor Sprout has been here several times to find out about this," Ron said. "It's no use; my sister is going to look like a bloody toad!"

"It doesn't hurt to double check," said Hermione.

"But I think we're wasting our time!"

"Wasting time, Ron? This is your sister, for goodness sake!"

As the two of them argued, Harry left the group and went back into the archives of the Hogwarts library. He dodged the cobwebs that were in his way. After 20 minutes of searching, he found an old, 70-year-old book titled _Herbology of the World_ that was hidden away in a box titled "ARCHIVED MATERIALS: DO NOT TOUCH." Blowing the dust off of the cover, he opened it up and found a chapter titled _Herbology of Different Worlds_. In the chapter was a comprehensive section of the plant life found on different worlds and planets....and Pandora. He found a wide range of plants that thrived there. He also found the reason why the herbology professor had perished on Pandora; the atmosphere was different than on Earth and without a mask, one could sufflocate to death.

Harry motioned for his friends, who were still arguing, to come and look at his findings.

"I told you Hermione, it makes no difference if she's covered in warts; she's still human!" Ron exclaimed as he followed Hermione into the archive room.

"Stop arguing you two," Harry said sternly. "I found our answers in this book." He pointed out the passages on Pandora as well as the section on the plant, _helicoradian_.

"That's wonderful, Harry!" cried Hermione. "But how do we get there and where do we get masks to keep us breathing?

"I have an idea. Hagrid has a bunch of masks in his room that he wears while spraying weed killer. If we can borrow them, we can apparitiate to Pandora, get a _helicoradian_ sample, and come back to Hogwarts."

"It's a good idea but how are we going to explain apparitiating to some far off place that may or may not be hostile? Heck, we aren't even old enough to apparitiate!"

"This is a risk we have to take, Hermione," said Harry.

"See Hermione, I told you she was better off with warts," blurted Ron. "It's too dangerous for us to go."

"Ron, she's your sister. You've got to do this." Harry gave Ron a stern look. "Would you enjoy life with your entire body covered in calluses and warts? Would like to spend life alone because everyone avoids you? Would you like it if little children pointed and stared at your grotesque body?"

Ron sighed heavily and shuffled his feet. "No," he mumbled.

"I'm glad you see my point. We will be leaving for Pandora first thing tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2: The Na'vi

Journey to Pandora - Chapter 2

by Chrstnwrtr

Armed with breathing masks, two extra brooms for Ron and Hermione, and the _Herbology of Different Worlds_ book, the three friends were ready to go to Pandora to retrieve a _helicoradian_ plant to keep Ginny from looking disfigured for the rest of her life. They chose a field away from Hogwarts so they wouldn't be caught openly practicing apparition.

The three of them disappeared into the air and successfully landed in a meadow of all sorts of plants. Pandora was big. The plantlife was strange compared to Earth. They noticed one tree with pink fronds dangling from it. In the distance, they saw mountains floating in air along with strange creatures flying in the air, riding atop other strange creatures.

"Harry, this place is huge!" complained Ron. "How are we supposed to find this 'helicopterarian plant' or whatever the heck it is?"

"It is a _helicoradian_ plant," corrected Harry, adjusting his mask. "According to _Herbology of Different Worlds_, the plant is carnivorous and retracts when touched. We need to figure out a way to cut it out of the ground and take it with us."

"Well, we need to find it first," Hermione added. "Does the book have any pictures of it, Harry?"

"Yes it does. Take a look." Harry handed Hermione the herbology book. Hermione's eyes then locked on a bunch of spiral-like plants in the distance.

"Over there," she said, pointing toward the plants.

The three friends mounted their broomsticks and flew toward the _helicoradians_. Harry tried to touch one, but it retracted quickly into the ground. Hermione also tried to capture one, with no success.

"Well hurry up, guys," said Ron. "We just need to get one little plant and we're out of here."

While they were desparately trying to grab the spiral plants, someone was watching them in the distance. This individual did not like these three strange beings trying to destroy the Pandoran plantlife. Suddenly, without warning, an arrow flew by their heads and landed into the ground, about five feet away. The three friends turned to face an abnormally tall, blue-skinned creature with a scowl on its face.

* * *

Neytiri had just left Hometree to find food. As she was about to mount her _ikran_, she felt a disturbance in the area. She then left the _ikran_ and scoured the area but no luck. She kept on walking for about 10 minutes or so until she found three strange beings in the distance, picking away at the native _helicoradian_ plants. Angered by this act of "vandalism," she decided to teach the trespassers a lesson. She took her bow and aimed an arrow toward the direction of the strangers but fired it into a nearby bush, scaring them.

She then approached the group of strangers and, by looking at their masks, was immediately reminded of the Sky People that tried to destroy her people. She also knew that some of the surviving Sky People were taken prisoner after the last big battle. Perhaps a few of them escaped, she thought. The more she thought about the Sky People, the more she became angered. However, these beings were shorter and younger than the ones that tried to kill all the Na'vi. Still, Neytiri was intent on finding out who they were and why they were killing the plantlife.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the strangers in an angry tone of voice.

A young man with red hair stood up and stammered. He was surprised that the blue creature could speak English. "Uh, we-we-we're, um, uh, well..."

"Stop it, Ron," said another stranger who had long hair as she slapped him. "You see, we mean no harm at all. We're merely trying to get a sample of your plantlife for a friend."

Neytiri was not convinced. "You do not need to kill our plants for your 'friend!'" she snapped. "How dare you!"

"I can explain," said the third creature, sporting black hair and a strange mark on his forehead. "Our friend back home is ill and we need one of your plants to help her get better. If you need more information, I have a book with me..."

"Silence!" Neytiri scolded them. "I am sick of your kind trying to destroy my people and my world!"

"We're not trying to destroy your world," the stranger with the scar said. "The plant has valuable healing properties and we only need just one to get the formula."

Neytiri was unfazed. "You three will come with me!" she snapped and motioned them to follow her. "We will see if you are really telling the truth or are just out to kill us!"

* * *

Harry's scar now started to throb as he, Ron, and Hermione were marched out to a large tree by a giant, half-naked blue creature with a tail. As they got to the tree, they noticed that they were surrounded by similar creatures. They stared at the group of three would-be wizards as they were paraded out to a throne; they all seemed to be speaking some strange language. Sitting in it appeared to be the husband of this weird-looking individual. Off to the side was an elderly one that appeared to be some sort of shaman.

"Jakesully," said the blue creature. "I have found three Sky People trying to pick our plants!" She pushed them toward him, who looked at them not with scorn but with curiousity.

"What are 'sky people?'" asked Ron, clutching his broom.

"Quiet," snapped their captor.

Jake stroked his face. These were kids, not government agents or soldiers, he thought. He was also surprised to know that they were smart enough to wear masks to protect themselves from Pandora's atmosphere. One of them had a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Another was carrying an old book.

"So Neytiri says you're destroying Pandora's plants, huh?" said Jake with a sly grin on his face. "Can you explain this to me?" He sat back on his throne, preparing himself for a rather interesting explanation from the group of teenagers armed with masks and broomsticks.

"Well, my name is Harry Potter, and these are my friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," Harry said. "We are from the Hogwarts School of Wizardry."

"They are wizards!" cried Neytiri. "They must be evil!"

Jake looked in Neytiri's direction and cleared his throat loudly and then motioned for Harry to continue.

"Well, one of our friends back home is ill with a sickness that left untreated, would cause her to grow calluses and warts all over her body. We need a specimen of the _helicoradian_ plant to help make the antidote."

Jake shook his head and laughed. "You guys are a riot. That is the funniest thing I've ever heard in a long time. Now give me one good reason why I should believe you." He thought that these three junior wizards were just having fun with their magic and decided to mess around with Pandora's flora and fauna.

Ron gulped. Hermione gasped. Harry's scar hurt more than ever, but he put the pain out of his head and showed Jake the old herbology book. He also took out a paper from his pocket with Ginny's recorded diagnosis on it. He flipped through the pages of _Herbology of Different Worlds_ to the section on Pandora and invited Jake to read it. He also presented the paper with Ginny's medical information. Jake looked through this old book and realized that the three junior wizards meant business.

In the meantime, Neytiri's mother and the clan's shaman, Mo'at, looked at them and then relayed some information to Neytiri in their native language. Neytiri's eyes widened as she looked at Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Jake finished reading the section on Pandora and handed the information back to Harry, his hand trembling with fear.

"Well, it looks like you kids are telling the truth," said Jake. "I haven't even seen information on Pandora that dates back 70 years ago. I wonder how people managed to find this out." He handed the note and the book back to Harry.

Harry then realized that something was fishy. If no one had successfully been to Pandora until now, then how was the information put together, he thought.

Neytiri then raised her head and spoke. "My mother Mo'at has confirmed that you do have magical abilities. But how do we know that you are not evil?"

"Neytiri, they're just kids," Jake replied. "Besides, the Sky People were American. These guys are British."

"Then what is on your face, Harrypotter?" asked Neytiri. She brushed his bangs away from his forehead to reveal Harry's lightning scar.

"It's a scar," Harry replied. "It's a long story how I got it. Right now, it hurts," He backed off, rubbing his forehead. He started to feel lightheaded and promptly passed out on the ground.

Harry was then carried to a net-like hammock followed by Mo'at, Neytiri, and his friends. Mo'at placed a pleasant smelling, herbal paste on his forehead and rubbed it over his aching scar, keeping the breathing apparatus to his mask intact. She then mumbled a few words of her native tongue and walked away from the hammock. Harry wasn't sure if his pain was stress-related or if Voldemort was acting up again.

* * *

Harry woke up to find his friends off in the distance talking with the Na'vi people and showing them how to ride a broom as well as using it for more practical purposes, such as sweeping. As a joke, Ron pointed his wand at a wild _ikran_ and turned it into a rabbit and turned it back to normal. The native Pandorans marveled at the magic of these youngsters, having never seen a broom or even a magic wand in their lives. He sat up and noticed that Hermione was holding the item they coveted: the _helicoradian_ plant. Neytiri approached him with a cloth to clean the paste off of his forehead.

"Harrypotter of the Gryffindor Clan," she said. "Are you feeling well?"

He nodded as his forehead was cleaned. "Gryffindor Clan?" he asked. "How did you know what house, er, clan I come from?"

"Your friends told us. They said that where you come from, there are four clans."

"Ohhh," Harry replied. "Yes, myself and my friends are in the Gryffindor Clan," he said. "The three other clans are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

"Tell me about these clans."

"Well, we're divided into four groups, er, clans by a Sorting Hat..." He managed to give Neytiri a condensed version of the four houses of Hogwarts as well as the point system it goes by and how points are earned and deducted.

While Harry and Neytiri were talking to each other, Ron and Hermione came up to them. "Harry, it's time to go," said Hermione. "We got what we came for and now we need to go back and explain to the Ministry of Hogwarts as to why we apparitiated while underage." She put a hand on Harry's shoulder. He got out of the hammock and thanked the Na'vi for their help.

"How did you guys get the plant?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Oh, they mumbled some strange words and place their hands over the plant and it came out. They said another plant will grow back eventually."

The Na'vi followed the three teenage wizards out into a field and waved their final goodbyes. Jake shook their hands. "You guys are welcome to come back any time," he said with a smile.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry then were whisked away back to where they came from: Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3: Back at Hogwarts

Journey to Pandora - Chapter 3: Back at Hogwarts

by Chrstnwrtr

The three friends landed back in the same field where they came. All of them were anxious as to how they would be received back at Hogwarts after deliberately using a spell forbidden by underage wizards. They dropped off the masks at Hagrid's home and decided to be as inconspicuous as possible when returning to school.

"Hey, if they didn't know we apparitiated to Pandora, we don't have to say anything," said Ron.

"Shhh!" whispered Harry under his breath. "Then how are we going to explain this plant we got?"

"We'll just say we were practicing our potions and it grew from the potions themselves."

"But then they'll want to know how to _grow_ plants from potions, Ron," said Hermione.

"We can just say that we forgot which potions worked."

"They'll never believe that, Ron," said Harry. "We're already in a heap of trouble for doing what we did so we might as well come clean and say we did it for a friend who was suffering. Then we need to find out why they hid this valuable herbology book in the archives. It has so much valuable information on Pandoran vegetation. Someone HAD to have gone to Pandora to take note and come back to write this book!"

As expected, once they stepped foot inside Hogwarts, Severus Snape was there to "greet" them. He did not look pleased.

"You three have a date with the Ministry of Magic," he said in a lucid monotone. "In the meantime, Gryffindor loses half its points."

Before anyone could say anything, Snape then motioned them to follow him. He transferred them to the "courtroom" that was the Ministry of Magic. While Ron and Hermione were wringing their hands nervously, Harry scanned the audience for any sign of Professor Dumbledore. Unfortunately, the elderly head of Hogwarts was nowhere to be found.

Immediately, the three friends were ushered into seats before the Ministry of Magic. Cornelius Fudge and the rest of the staff set their sights on them.

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley," said Fudge. "I'm surprised at you. You all know better than to apparitiate underage. However, I will allow for an explanation for your misgivings. If you are successful at defending yourselves, then I will let you go and award the points back for Gryffindor. If not, the point value stays the same and all three of you will be expelled from Hogwarts School of Wizardry."

"We can do this," Harry whispered to his friends. Just as he raised his head, he saw two people enter the Ministry of Magic. One was Professor Dumbledore and the other was Ginny Weasley, who was already starting to sport grotesque callouses on her arms. This ellicited stares and whispers from the crowd.

Before Harry could open his mouth and speak, Dumbledore addressed the Ministry of Magic.

"I apologize for being late but I must have my say," he said. "While I do disapprove of young wizards apparitiating in unknown places, I do believe that these young wizards had a purpose."

"This had better be good, Dumbledore," Fudge said. "However, I would prefer that one of the children speak up in their own defense."

Harry stood up, shaking. His stomach wound up in knots. He cleared his throat and began. "We don't deny that we apparitiated while underage," he said. "Dumbledore is correct that we had a purpose in doing so. You see Ginny Weasley over there is stricken with a disease that would cover her in warts and callouses. The only known antidote exists in a plant that is not native to England or even the world for that matter."

"So where does it exist?" asked Fudge sternly.

"It exists on a moon called Pandora, inhabited by a race of people who live in nature. The plant in question is a carnivorous plant called _helicoradian_. The plant is needed to provide a formula to be replicated to create an antidote to this disease known as "heliotrophy." I have Ginny's medical record as proof of her illness, which I feel that you don't need, judging by how she looks already."

"Well, I see that Miss Weasley is already struck with this illness. But how did you find out about the plant and its wearabouts?"

Harry continued, feeling confident each time he spoke. "I found a book titled _Herbology of Different Worlds_ in the archives of the Hogwarts Library. The classification and identification of Pandoran plant life is incredibly detailed and it was extremely helpful."

"Let me see the book," said Fudge.

Harry handed the book to him and he leafed through it, reading the comprehensive detail about Pandora. He then closed the book and put it down. "I have made my decision," he said. "And may this be the ONLY time the three of you ever apparitiate again until you all turn 17. You have a reprieve; you may return to your studies and Gryffindor will receive back the points that was previously deducted. Next time something happens like this, you must tell a professor and let them deal with it. What you did was brave but otherwise dangerous. If you try something like this again, expect to be expelled immediately, no matter how noble your cause is."

All three nodded in agreement. Ron breathed a sigh of relief. Harry still wasn't finished. He had to know who managed to escape Pandora alive to write _Herbology of Different Worlds_.

"Excuse me, I do have a question," Harry said.

"Go ahead," said Fudge.

"I was told by the medical staff that no one has successfully apparitiated to Pandora and come back alive until today," he said. "What I want to know is how was this book written, with a detailed chapter on Pandoran vegetation, without anyone going to Pandora and coming back?"

"Well Mr. Potter," said Fudge. "That's a common myth. Most people don't believe that anyone went to Pandora and came back alive. The herbologist that authored the book was Archimedes Falcon. He actually made several trips to Pandora. He _almost_ died from breathing the air in the atmosphere and that's what probably got the myth started."

"And," said Dumbledore, chiming in. "Mr. Falcon was involved in finding ways to treat and cure heliotrophy during an outbreak at Hogwarts. He and the medical team were so successful at ridding Hogwarts of the heliotrophy outbreak that they decided that once it was gone, it was gone and threw away the formula to the antidote. The plants they had harboring it had died. Now we can hopefully preserve the treatment because, quite frankly, going to Pandora and back is a pain in the backside. After his death, _Herbology of Different Worlds_ was placed in circulation at the Hogwarts Library but no one checked it out and it was forgotten for several years."

"So that explains why it ended up in the archives room in the library," said Harry.

"Exactly," replied Dumbledore. "And thanks to you, this book will be available for future generations of herbology students and enthusiasts."

* * *

Once the medical staff received the _helicoradian_ plant, they went to work immediately to develop the antidote. Once Ginny was treated, her callouses and warts disappeared within a week. After Ginny's recovery, they were all featured on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_. The four celebrated with a round of butterbeer.

"Thank you so very much for what you've done," Ginny said. "Your help and dedication are greatly appreciated."

"No problem, Sis," said Ron. "Mum and Dad wrote that while they didn't like the idea of risking our lives, they were happy that everything turned out well in the end."

"That's pretty much what Cornelius Fudge said," Harry chimed in.

"My parents were happy I helped but they were disappointed that I didn't find the book first," said Hermione. She rolled her eyes. "You can't please everyone."

As they continued talking and enjoying butterbeer, they were welcomed by fellow students, receiving high fives, fist bumps, and claps on the back for their job well done. After further reading _The Daily Prophet_, the friends found out that a new edition of _Herbology of Different Worlds_ would be published with new information about Pandora and the older one would be put on display in the Hogwarts Library.

The four young wizards finished drinking the last of their libations and returned back to school for classes. While Ron and Hermione walked off, Ginny grabbed Harry by the wrist and looked at him.

"Thank you Harry," she said as she kissed his lips.

"You're quite welcome," said a grinning and blushing Harry. The two held hands and went back to their studies.

THE END


End file.
